This page is being served from the Urological Sciences Research Foundation web repository, and was originally posted between 1996-2008. In January 2009 USRF’s founder, Dr. Leonard S. Marks and his staff joined UCLA’s Department of Urology where they are continuing their research. Click for more information.

New York Yankees Manager Joe Torre

As his New York Yankees struggled to hold onto first place in their
division during one of the team's worst Septembers in history, Joe Torre
took time out from his hectic schedule to call. He didn't want to talk
about the Yankee ball team he's been managing for five seasons, but
about his prostate cancer, and of the tremendous help he received from
his wife, Ali, in dealing with all the complex issues he faced immediately
after being diagnosed in early 1999. (For those of you who don't follow
baseball, the Yankees eventually came out of their late-summer funk
weeks later and went on to win their third consecutive World Series
title.)

"Unfortunately, heart disease runs in my family," says the 60-year-old
Torre, whose brother Frank received a heart transplant in 1996. "So
in February, 1999, just like I do every year, I took my series of medical
tests. Only this time, my cardiologist told me that my PSA level appeared
to be a bit elevated and I should have it checked out again when I got
down to Florida for spring training, which I did. My PSA came back at
4.5 ng/ml and my free PSA was extremely low. A biopsy that was performed
shortly after came back positive. I was told that I had an aggressive
cancer.

Woman with a mission

"Up until the final biopsy test result came in, Ali was in her own
form of denial, in that she hoped that I didn't have cancer. But once
she knew for sure, she was on my case. She is the one who did all the
researching. She went on the Internet for background medical information.
She bought all the books on the subject of prostate cancer and later
came up with a written list of questions we needed answered by the doctor
to help us in the tough decision-making process. By the time we eventually
went to see the urology specialist in St. Louis, we were extremely well
prepared for our appointment.

"I was numb when I got the cancer diagnosis and I don't know what
I would have done if Ali hadn't been there to get me through it all.
It later became very clear to me that you need a spouse or a good friend
to be there for you, to keep you on level ground and to give you hope.
Otherwise, saddled with the cancer diagnosis, it becomes so easy to
think of your cancer as some sort of a dark hole, and that there is
no way out for you.

"Ali and I are very lucky to have each other. I don't think I've ever
felt closer to her than I did after I was diagnosed. One of the reasons
we want to talk about the "couple effect" of prostate cancer is to encourage
men not to shut their spouses out after they've been diagnosed but instead
to work with them in fighting this disease. Your wife is your partner
in the truest sense of the word. After my own diagnosis, I found that
I began thinking a lot of negative things. Talking about it with Ali,
however, made it less morbid. And then there was a tremendous amount
of medical information to absorb. A lot of it was conflicting and confusing.
But I knew if I missed something or didn't really understand it, Ali
would be there to talk it over with me.

A winning strategy

"So many people have asked me how I dealt with my prostate cancer.
Well, I knew for sure as a baseball player for 17 years and then as
a manager of pro teams that I had to start practicing what I preached.
This basically boiled down to the fact that if you have a bad day or
week, and if you or your team are not doing particularly well, you need
to find effective ways to deal with it. You must become proactive and
get into the attack mode, doing everything you can to get answers.

"This approach is what I had to bring to my own cancer treatment.
What scared me initially, in addition to my cancer, was that I didn't
have the answers I needed. It certainly was a very difficult time emotionally.
I was a mess, my blood pressure had skyrocketed—all from being scared
about the cancer and what I had to do about it.

"When we finally got to St. Louis, the specialist went over all my
test results in detail and eventually said that, based on the aggressiveness
of the cancer and my age, he'd recommend that I have a radical prostatectomy.
Ali and I listened as he described the intricacies of the surgery and
what my post-operative experience would be like. Hearing his description
helped to calm me down enormously.

"The ultimate decision about what to do, the doctor said, was mine
to make. He got up and headed for the door, saying he would leave us
alone for a while to make that decision. Ali and I sat together and
discussed the pros and cons of the various treatment options. We finally
decided that surgery, with its strong chance for cure and limited side
effects, was what we wanted to do.

"My surgery proceeded without any complications and the specialist
said it had been successful. In addition to getting all the cancer out,
he was also able to save both nerves on the prostate that control sexual
function. Back home from the hospital, I had some post-operative problems
with incontinence but they cleared up very quickly. One thing I really
noticed after the surgery, however, was a distinct energy loss. I felt
that the fatigue came from a combination of factors, which included
the physical trauma of the surgery, having the urinary catheter in for
three weeks, and finally just the psychological fatigue that came from
knowing that I had cancer. Put them all together and you get pretty
tired.

"People often ask me if I made any changes in my diet after my cancer
diagnosis. Since heart disease runs in my family, I have always been
conscious about eating healthful, lowfat meals. But since Ali and I
had read about the possible effects of nutrition on prostate cancer,
we consulted nutritionists after my surgery to find ways of replacing
all the cholesterol-laden foods still in our diet. We were given tasty
recipes that were low in fat, high in fiber, and rich in phytochemicals.
I also decided to extend my nutritional changes to the snacks I eat
in the dugout. During the sixth inning of every game I have a soy shake
and throughout the game I will drink anywhere from six to eight cups
of iced green tea. Both are supposed to play a preventive role against
prostate cancer and since I like the taste, it's not a problem.

"Regular exercise was part of my recovery program. I'm a believer
in the power of exercise so I was religious about the walking routine
I followed daily. I have to admit, though, sometimes I worked out too
rigorously in the early days and had to back off in order to recover.

"With the 1999 major league baseball season in full swing during my
recovery period, I was anxious about getting back to the team as soon
as I was able. When to do this was left completely up to me by our team
owner. Managing the team is a 7-day-a-week job with many late nights,
and it takes a certain level of stamina to keep up the demanding pace.
If I worked a 9-to-5, 5-day-a-week job, I think I could have gone back
to work much earlier than I did because I could have rested up on the
weekends and recovered in time for work the following Monday. Baseball
doesn't offer that luxury.

"The most difficult time came near the end of my recovery, when I
was feeling pretty good during the day. But then I routinely found myself
nodding off at about 10 pm. I had to be realistic. If I had been back
managing the team, I would have been nodding off like that in the dugout
in the sixth inning of a game. To do the job right, I needed to be able
to stay awake until at least one or two o'clock in the morning, so I
decided to hold off my return to the Yankees until I could do that.
Finally, two months after my surgery, I was back in the Yankee dugout.
Energy-wise, I was fine and could do my work without a problem."

A spouse's perspective

Joe passed the phone to Ali, who told about her father's successful
prostate cancer surgery 12 years earlier and how it had helped to prepare
her for her husband's upcoming ordeal. "When Joe told me he had cancer,
I was sad because of all the mental and physical anguish I knew that
he would have to go through. There were many dark moments for Joe after
his diagnosis and in the time prior to his decision to have the surgery.
I could see the anxiety and stress he was under. However, once he made
the decision to go forward with the surgery, he felt much better. His
surgeon and the hospital staff made the procedure such a positive experience
for him that it relieved a great deal of his stress.

"Prostate cancer is a difficult experience to go through. Although
the prostate cancer was first and foremost about my husband's life,
it would be the two of us who would have to fight this disease, both
on our own and as a couple. One thing every spouse needs to do is to
educate herself about prostate cancer. Get all the information you can
so you are on the same page as your doctor and can ask intelligent questions.

"Communication is critically important, also. Even though he may never
verbalize it to you, understand that your man is going through an extremely
emotional time, with so many conflicting and oftentimes dark thoughts
racing through his mind throughout the waking hours. Of course, you
will console him as best you can. But perhaps just as important, you
need to communicate and tell him exactly how you feel emotionally because
of his diagnosis. Tell him of your own fears and your hopes for the
future.

"Since the day that I finally sat down with Joe and opened up to him,
telling him how lousy I felt because of his cancer diagnosis, I felt
that we made great strides. This was the ice-breaker that let us talk
freely about what he and I were going through and it allowed us to make
plans for handling our problems. Prostate cancer is a long journey and
we knew we were going to have to confront some intimate issues, including
possible erectile dysfunction and incontinence.

"What also proved to be very important for us was an effective and
extensive support system. I was lucky enough to have my sisters, parents,
and a wonderful group of friends who were there for me when I needed
to cry on someone's shoulder. Having support, whether from your loved
ones, or from a prostate cancer support group such as US TOO! or Man
To Man, allows you to feel less alone in this truly dark time. Outside
support allows you to vent your feelings, to zero in on what's really
important, and offers you the necessary arena for solving problems."